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Five Micro-Stressors Every Senior Goes Through

Senior year is hella stressful. There are college applications – manually filling out forms, requesting for the requirements, compiling them and then taking the entrance tests which takes a lot of time. It doesn’t help that most of the best college institutions are in Manila. College doesn’t start until next year, but the effort of trying to make it into the dream school sometimes make us want to have a condo in Manila sooner.

Given these struggles, there are other things that damper a senior’s confidence and mood. They are adults, but not quite. They are young and naive, but they are independent as they start learning the ropes of the world. They deserve a bit of understanding from adults. Still, here are lesser known things that put additional stress on senior students.

Pressuring them to take a course they don’t like

They haven’t graduated let alone stepped out of the halls of their high school, and they are already subjected to a path of misery and doom because their parents have a say on what degree they should get. Those who want to pursue the path are lucky, but those who want to branch out to another aren’t. There are also students who qualify for college scholarships but are limited to specific courses. Thus, the lack of freedom throws them off the curve and makes them less enthusiastic of college.

Unsupportive parents

These parents often don’t know what’s best for their senior student. They hinder the student to get close to opportunities. They don’t listen to their child, and they don’t care. Some parents only want what they didn’t achieve when they were younger, and they shovel them to their kids.

Senior year is the time for the student to explore with the help of their training wheels. It’s the time for them to make mistakes and ask for forgiveness once they’ve realized it. But parents don’t understand this, and they choose to strangle their kids with nagging, criticism and gaslighting rather than support and guide them in their endeavors.

Piled up projects

Whether it’s a self-development project or a school requirement, unfinished projects add to the pile of stress on their shoulders. Supplies are strewn in the bedroom or the study hall. There are looming deadlines, and the meetings come one after the other. There’s a huge chance to leave a major piece of the project behind, and they (and their group mates) will hate them for it. There’s also the fact that commuting while bringing a huge board (ONE WHOLE illustration board) is such a hassle.

Unfriendly community

We may not be aware, but students fall in and out of friendships throughout their high school years as adults do. Falling out of a year long friendship at the last year of high school is heartbreaking. Senior year is the year of raging hormones and significant changes – the year of the unknown. Being surrounded by unsupportive peers, self-centered student leaders and belittling teachers are hard for the student. Extended periods of isolation may lead to depression.

Facing traffic

Unless the house is a few steps from the school, then say hello to the population of people who rely on vehicles to get anywhere. Traffic is a nuisance which makes a 9 a.m. class to a 6 a.m. affair because it takes an hour to get ready and two to get to school.

It’s much stressful when it’s time to get home. The students spend 8 hours on average at school, and they still have to travel home. Exhausted and weary, the only thing to do is sleep, but they have to stay up lest they get robbed or miss their stop.

These five aren’t complaints but are micro-stressors that can pile up and blow in various proportions. As adults who have “been there, done that,” it is our responsibility to give compassion to the young ones. Seniors, no matter their size, are still part of the awkward stage. They deserve every bit of help and understanding from the people around them, especially their family.